Improvement in button-keys



, hereby declare the following to be a full,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES LAWRENCE, CF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO MILC PECK, OFSAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN BUTTON-KEYS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 44,771, dated October18, 1864.

To all whom it may concern.- y

Be it known that l, JAMES LAWRENCE, of New Haven, in the county of NewHaven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful ProtectedButton-Key; andI do clear, and eXactdescription of the same, when takenin connection with the accompanying r drawings, and the letters ofreference marked thereon, and which said drawings constitute part ofthis specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, the key complete, and in Figs. 2 and 3 the manner of using thesame.

My invention relates to an improvement in keys for securing metaleyedbuttons to clothing, Ste. 5 and it consists in the peculiar inanner ot'bending` or forming the key so that the ends or points are protected toprevent them catching in or tearing the clothing or otherwiseinconveniencing the wearer.

ln all buttonkeys now in use (except '1t be the common button-ring) theends are exposed and cause no small annoyance to the wearer by catchingin the clothing, which trouble is much increased by the loose. manner inwhich the keys, owing to their form, hang in thev button-eye. Theseobjections are entirely re- 1 moved in my invention.r

In a machine constructed for the purpose similar to the machine used-for forming hooks and-eyes, and other articles similar formed fromWire, the wire is cut into proper lengths and bent into the formsubstantially as shown in Fig. 1,the two ends a. turned into i thecenter to form the end of the button-key,

protected by the last bevel c, the two ends ot' the wire are bent toform a swell, as at i, and contracted again as at d, so that the endsclose together, passing through the buttoneye to pass the swell andexpand as soon as the coutracted part is in the eye.

In Fig. 2 the key is represented as set over a buttoneye, a, as in theact otinsertion; in Fig. 3, as forced down or in through the eye tosecure the button.

The peculiar triangular form of my button.

`key prevents its turning or hanging loosely in the eye, and theY endsare so perfectly protected by the last bend that the points cannot catchor otherwise inconvenience the wearer, while the construction is sosimple that the manner of attaching them is seen at a glance.

'lo remove the key simply press the key out from the position -in Fig. 3to that in Fig. 2, and from their peculiar form they are not liable tobe bent out of shape in using.

Having, therefore, described my invention, I do not broadly claim abutton-key formed by curving a single piece of wire but X'Vhat I doclaim as a new article of manufacture, and desire to secure by LettersPat- The witlzindescribed protected button-key.

JAMES LAWRENCE. Witnesses JOHN E. EARL, RUEUS SANFORD.

